Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Originally Posted by Tilden

BTW - has anyone else found it odd there haven't been many articles from Jet and Cord two days after the fact?

I wonder if Jet and Cord just weren't all that interested in doing multiple interviews. For them, it's old news (after all, they knew long ago that they lost and how they lost), and from the interview that was posted here, they aren't giving the kind of "We were robbed!" comments that a lot of publications might want from them. Being relatively reserved and unlikely to make accusations does not, unfortunately, make anyone particularly newsworthy anymore, no matter what he/she has accomplished.

Sadly, if they screamed foul and carried on drunkenly about how unfair their loss was, they'd probably get way more coverage.

I am so glad for this interview. It really gives you hope seeing that there are people out there who still have honor and integrity. I wish I could meet them.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Originally Posted by jadewarlock

This was Rob and Amber's season and the only time I've ever felt that Rob was robbed of a win (thus far - I'm mixed on this season of "Survivor").

In a real life situation - i.e. nongame, Uchenna and Joyce would NEVER be allowed on this plane, especially post 9/11. They got the plane to do it because otherwise Rob and Amber could leisurely take their time to the final challenges.

Oh....my...goodness. I am SO glad I didn't watch that season, or I would have been furious. At one point in my life, I actually worked for an airline for a few years. As a matter of fact, I was a gate agent in a major international airport. The scenario you describe is just wrong on so many levels. In my time, I had people cry, I had them get angry, I even had one lady become so threatening we had to call security. I and my co-workers NEVER opened the doors once that flight was closed and ready to depart, primarily for the reasons below:

1. An entire planeload of passengers (some of whom may have had connections at the next airport) would be inconvenienced. That means the flight attendants would have to deal with grumpy passengers for the rest of the flight and the airline would receive their complaints. And since time means money for the airlines, that agent might even get questioned by his or her superiors.

2. In addition to the time factor, there was the weight. Before each flight, the pilot has to do a calculation based on number of passengers, bags, amount of fuel, etc. to make sure the plane isn't too heavy to safely fly. This number has to be submitted and approved before the plane leaves. That's another major reason why agents don't open the gate once a flight is closed. A pilot who is forced to re-do and re-submit that calculation is not a happy pilot. Yes, technically the pilot can open the doors again if the plane hasn't left, but he's going to demand a darn good reason from the agent as to why they're begging the pilot to do this.

3. Since this was TAR, then these ladies almost certainly had no checked bags. If you do, though, then you will be lucky if you make it onto a flight and your bags make it with you. Then your bags have to take up space and weight on another flight.

4. As Fan999 pointed out, if the plane had truly left the gate, then to come back you have to disrupt half the airport. The tarmac area is under the control of an air traffic control officer. You have to get his permission to deviate from your route and time to the runway, because he's keeping his eye on the other planes around the first one who also need to depart. And of course, other pilots, even from your own airline, will not be happy campers since you will disrupt their schedule when you finally leave.

I personally think it was payback for Rob's admittedly brilliant strategy of getting people to not do the food roadblock so all got the penalty because he couldn't eat it (not sure even I could've - I think it was raw cow meat or something).

Now I'm really glad I didn't watch this season. We'll have to disagree, because I don't think this was particularly brilliant. I think this was as dodgy as giving people the answers. Like FT and Gary, you're convincing others to not do a challenge, for personal gain. If I had been one of those contestants, there is no way I would have refused to do the challenge--and I'm sure I would have lost with honor like the Cowboys.

Second one I don't think we've seen happen since, but I don't know if that's been because last season we had nice teams in the final three (yes, even the dating couple was nice overall, but not my favorites) and they probably wouldn't have resorted to that tactic.

I've wondered that myself.

Here, I think the lesson learned is that on any measuring challenge, they MUST use the odometer or show the marks used to get the answer. Clean marks or unmatching odometer to the answer means they go back.

The error of this challenge was that they did NOT resort to using the odometer for the answer. They required the contestants to write down the answer. I'm sure they thought "Well, the contestants will if they get lost, count the kilometers they did wrong and be honest and give the right answer." The problem is, when they did that, they opened it up for just giving people the answer, letting them ride to the checkpoint, get the directions to the castle and go.

Production fell here - in spite of their good intentions - thinking the contestants would play this one honestly and if they didn't get the right answer would go back.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Originally Posted by Babbred

Now I'm really glad I didn't watch this season. We'll have to disagree, because I don't think this was particularly brilliant. I think this was as dodgy as giving people the answers. Like FT and Gary, you're convincing others to not do a challenge, for personal gain. If I had been one of those contestants, there is no way I would have refused to do the challenge--and I'm sure I would have lost with honor like the Cowboys.

I mean brilliant in that he was able to convince people to not do it - they had several who could eat the meat - which I seem to recall now was at least cooked. That takes a lot of doing - some of them that is a decent amount of food they could take energy from, as we read from Ron that sometimes meals are far between.

I personally think it is the equivalent however of this recent event with the bikes though.

And, speaking as someone who can eat just about anything, this is one I'm not sure even I could've stomached.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Originally Posted by jadewarlock

I mean brilliant in that he was able to convince people to not do it - they had several who could eat the meat - which I seem to recall now was at least cooked. That takes a lot of doing - some of them that is a decent amount of food they could take energy from, as we read from Ron that sometimes meals are far between.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Oh, it was genius. It wasn't that it was a gross food challenge, it was a bulk one. The meat was cooked, but it was something like 4 POUNDS. Rob took one look at it and realized he wouldn't finish it-and from what I recall, only a couple of the teams actually did-and decided he wouldn't waste time trying before taking the penalty. Then he pointed out the advantages of quitting to ensure that other teams were behind him. I almost think the bulk challenges are worse than gross food, because at least if it's gross, it's generally in a small amount. Rob's challenge with the meat, the fondue pot and the tea challenges this season, the one last time where they had to pick out the fake food were all terrible to watch....because the teams were trying to force themselves to eat much more than they could handle...ugh. Rob was smart in quitting that challenge.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

I seem to remember it looked really blackened, like it had been charred a bit over an open fire. Regardless, it was a HUGE amount of food to consume, particularly if you were a woman (most women just can't eat that much). Rob realized that if he talked up the fact that he couldn't do it, and would rather just take the penalty, then hopefully another team would do the same and their penalty time would start AFTER his had already started. He gambled correctly, and was able to have at least two teams waiting out their penalty while he and Amber left. It was a smart move.

I know I could never have eaten that cheese fondue. It was just too much melted heavy fatty cheese. Sure, a few bites would be yummy but after that I wouldn't have been able to do it.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Originally Posted by pretlitdev

Oh, it was genius. It wasn't that it was a gross food challenge, it was a bulk one. The meat was cooked, but it was something like 4 POUNDS. Rob took one look at it and realized he wouldn't finish it-and from what I recall, only a couple of the teams actually did-and decided he wouldn't waste time trying before taking the penalty. Then he pointed out the advantages of quitting to ensure that other teams were behind him. I almost think the bulk challenges are worse than gross food, because at least if it's gross, it's generally in a small amount. Rob's challenge with the meat, the fondue pot and the tea challenges this season, the one last time where they had to pick out the fake food were all terrible to watch....because the teams were trying to force themselves to eat much more than they could handle...ugh. Rob was smart in quitting that challenge.

I'm sure the food challenges are easy to come up with, but I really don't like them. I guess it's ok if it's eating some strange local delicacy like the roasted crickets, but just having to force down a lot of food is not the type of challenge I enjoy.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Originally Posted by sweetpea

I seem to remember it looked really blackened, like it had been charred a bit over an open fire. Regardless, it was a HUGE amount of food to consume, particularly if you were a woman (most women just can't eat that much). Rob realized that if he talked up the fact that he couldn't do it, and would rather just take the penalty, then hopefully another team would do the same and their penalty time would start AFTER his had already started. He gambled correctly, and was able to have at least two teams waiting out their penalty while he and Amber left. It was a smart move.

I know I could never have eaten that cheese fondue. It was just too much melted heavy fatty cheese. Sure, a few bites would be yummy but after that I wouldn't have been able to do it.

This is what Wikipedia said about the meat challenge.

In this Roadblock, one team member had to eat four pounds of a traditional Argentinian feast containing cow rib, pork sausage, blood sausage, cow intestine, cow udder, cow kidney and part of a cow's saliva gland. When they finished eating, teams would receive their next clue.

Re: 4/24 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

Sorry, but I'm not getting the admiration here. He didn't want to do a challenge he didn't like, which is the entire point of the show, and convinced others to do the same. The guy was a lazy git, as the Brits would say. I'm sorry, but after seeing poor Justin slog his way through an entire pot of fondue (when he didn't even have to), and seeing FT agonize when he gave up on that challenge in their season, I simply don't have any sympathy for those who won't even try.

And BTW, there's a steakhouse here in Texas that will give you a free meal if you finish their 72 oz. (4.5 lb) steak in one sitting. And Scottish people eat haggis, which is basically the above-mentioned food item, only with sheep guts instead of cow's. So these kinds of challenges are doable, just not palatable.